Ignis Mater
by El Bandido
Summary: [Chapter 3 up now] First story written by Silverhawk with ideas by me :D (he let me post it). It's basically a parody of Fire Emblem based on people in our school :p. Hope you enjoy it.
1. Prologue Prince of Etruria

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters, places, etc. from Fire Emblem. Just had to make that clear :p.

**Prologue – Prince of ****Etruria******

In the midst of a rainstorm, a young man covered in dark robes ran down the streets of a rather quiet town. As the downpour firmly pierced the barren cobblestone road, the cloaked man nimbly reached into his victim's pocket and uncovered a wallet with fresh money inside. However, the victim, with his sharp sense of touch, swiftly turned around and knocked his assailant unconscious.

Fifteen minutes later, the thief awoke in a rather shabby bed, and felt a pang of pain plaguing his forehead. He winced as the sting surged through his head and noticed his poorly picked target smirking at him.

"Augh, what the hell was that for!?" The thief blurted out.

"As if you wouldn't do anything if you were robbed." The man remarked sarcastically.

"I'm a thief. I'm far too skilled to get robbed."

The banter continued on for quite some time, while the two matched wits. After one last snide comment by the thief, the two settled down.

"So who are you and why did you try to rob me anyway?"

"I'm the Prince of Etruria." The pickpocket answered nonchalantly.

"My ass you're the prince! He hasn't been seen for a whole year now. Probably dead by now."

"Believe me or not, it's your decision. I needed money to get some food and you were the most viable target at the moment. I was exiled to this small island for dead after Schwartz had gotten rid of me."

"Schwartz…isn't she the regent of Etruria?"

"Hmph, after my 'mysterious disappearance', she claimed the throne as hers."

"Why should I believe you?" the man eyed suspiciously.

"This should be enough proof." Zayn lifted a lock of hair, revealing a slight scar, nothing too obvious.

"Oh GASPO! Like that's evidence! Anyone could have fallen on the ground and made that scar!"

"You think I'd be dumb enough to make the scar just so I could pretend to be prince?"

"People are crazy these days, who knows what they would do?"

"Believe what you want, I've told you what I can…So what about you? Why don't you tell me about yourself?"

"I'm Yida, a tactician just looking for a job." He answered casually.

"Yida eh? Maybe you don't trust me yet, but I really could use your help. I have to reclaim my throne. I'm sure with my wit and your talent we can beat old Schwartz easily. And it can benefit you too! Once we regain my throne, I'll pay you as much as you want for your services. What do you say?"

"I don't know…let me think about it."

"Aw c'mon! You've gotta help me!"

"Fine. After all, I have nothing left to do on Kafti." The tactician answered with a somewhat unsure look.

"Great!" Zayn quickly shook Yida's hand. "Let's vamanos!"

"Erm…you can go if you want, but it's three in the morning." Yida said with an exasperated look.

"Oh right, hehe, then let's vamanos to sleep!" Zayn replied in high spirits. Yida simply slapped his hand to his face and shook his head.


	2. Chapter 1 Slipping Past Security

And here's Chapter 1.

**Chapter 1 – Slipping Past Security**

                The next morning was a bright day. The overshadowing clouds had parted and revealed the radiant sun. The town of Poussin was bustling with townspeople, rushing this way and that, through the paved streets, to get where they needed to. Various vendors were holding sales and people ran to the markets, shoving each other out of the way to claim their groceries.

                Meanwhile, Zayn and Yida meandered through the town, searching for a way to cross the sea to the harsh desert of Nabata. 

                "Say Yida, you think there might be a ship here we can take?" Zayn inquired.

                "Well duh! Why do you think we came to this port city in the first place?"

                "Oh yeah, hehe."

                As the duo continued ambling through the town, a young girl dressed in elegant ivory robes, clearly the mark of a worshipper of St. Forrest., searched around for her goal. _I must find him, the future of __Etruria__ depends on it, and as a servant of St. Forrest, I must fulfill my duty._ The cleric briefly prayed to find the prince 

                "Say there capi-tan, how about you let me on to your fancy-schmancy vessel?"

                "Arrr, price is 15,000 gold per person, sonny." The captain replied.

                "What?!? I don't have 15,000 gold! How about 5, old pal?" Zayn nudged the chief.

                "'Ow about not?" He replied nastily.

                "Please ignore my stupid friend, sir. We can offer 2,000 gold per person though." Yida said unsurely.

                "Arr, well lemme think 'bout this for a moment…okay I'll make you a deal. 'Ow about I let ye both on for 40,000?"

                "I'm guessing you aren't gonna let us on then?" Zayn asked naïvely.

                The captain shook his head, "Run along now boys." 

Before Zayn could think up another foolish retort, Yida quickly dragged him away.

"Damn it, now how are we supposed to get to Nabata?"  Yida placed two fingers on his chin, pondering about how to get out of this predicament.

"Hehe, Yida, you see the first mate over there?" Zayn shifted his head towards a rather old burly man who appeared to be hunched over and wearing a sailor's uniform. 

Yida noticed the mate holding some tickets in his hand…he appeared to be half asleep as well. Putting two and two together, Yida realized Zayn's plot. "Oohhh no Zayn, don't even try it. If the captain found out, he'd skin us alive!"

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." Zayn grinned and took off before Yida could stop him. 

~*~

Sighing quietly, the cleric hopelessly walked back to the port she had arrived in. She sauntered through hordes of people, heading back towards the port. _Perhaps I should search elsewhere...it has been a week and I have seen no sign of the prince, perhaps I may have better luck elsewhere_.

"A cleric of St. Forrest eh? Go ahead, ye can get on the ship." A sailor answered the juvenile cleric. She boarded the boat and immediately went down to the quarters, deciding to take a nap, for she was exhausted from her fruitless search.

~*~

                "Got them!" Zayn beamed as he held two tickets in his hand, set for Nabata. 

                "Yeah, yeah, let's just get on the ship." Yida couldn't help but smirk though.

                After flashing their tickets to the sailor, the two boarded the rather large vessel. Lined with huge masts and three large sails, the ship was quite a wonder to behold. It wasn't long until the sails were pulled up and began to billow in the breeze. The ship floated smoothly through the waters and nothing but crystal clear skies stood in the way. The odd thief and tactician duo were relieved they had been able to sneak past. The two were on deck, Yida's emerald robes and Zayn's ebony cloak fluttering in the soft gusts as they gazed over the sparkling sea. 

                "Are ye boys enjoying yer trip on this 'ere beauty?" asked a familiar voice from behind.

                "Yeah, this is great!" Zayn exclaimed.

                "Ey? 'ave I 'erd yer voice somewhere before?"

                Yida suddenly recognized the voice as none other than the captain's! He elbowed Zayn and mouthed _shut up_. Zayn arched his eyebrow, wondering why, but he complied to Yida's request.

                "Lemme get a look at ye two." The captain said curiously. He turned both the thief and tactician around and recognized the faces immediately. "ARR! We've got some stowaways here! Towber, get yer boys an' take care of 'em, mateys!" The skipper spat.

                Two buccaneers immediately turned around and menacingly lifted their axes, ready to battle. The first mate Zayn had seen before prepared to attack as well. Scared out of his wits, Zayn fumbled for his dagger and held it nervously as the corsairs advanced upon him.

                "Zayn!" Yida whispered loudly, "I can't fight, but I'll cheer you on from the sidelines." Zayn nodded and narrowly dodged the swing of one of the pirate's axe. He swiftly counterattacked by slashing rapidly at the burly man's exposed side. The buccaneer roared and swiped again at the agile thief, but to no avail. Zayn hacked again at his enemy and the pirate pulled back with several cuts on his skin.

                "All right Zayn, but watch out!" A second too slow from reacting, an iron axe just grazed Zayn's arm, and he flinched as blood started to flow out of his open wound. The thief quickly slashed some more at his opponent however with his short blade. After cutting recklessly at the pirate, this one fell back as well, gashes littered throughout his body.

~*~

                _What IS all that noise outside? How can I sleep with all these noisy pirates? How inconsiderate!_ The cleric stomped upstairs, grouchy from her lack of sleep. As she reached the deck however, she was shocked at the battle going on! She had not seen so much violence since Schwartz first took over Etruria. Suddenly, she gasped as she noticed something. _Could that be him? _Holding her staff up, she began to mutter a few phrases.

~*~

                "Hehe, ye won't pass me that easily!" The first mate, Towber hunched over and picked up his heavy steel axe. Towber charged at Zayn, but made no connection with Zayn as he leaped up and slashed down at Towber's sensitive back. "GGGWWWARRGGHH! Me back!" The mate groaned in pain but managed to cause a huge wound in Zayn's left arm. Though both his arms were badly injured, Zayn still dove at Towber and stuck his dagger in the old man's back. "Arrghh, I'm sorry Captain, I couldn't defeat the little scoundrel…" The bulky corsair toppled over. It wasn't long after that Zayn felt a little dizzy and stumbled back a bit before fainting into oblivion.

                The youthful thief woke up to a pair of very familiar eyes. "Julina?!" he exclaimed bewilderedly. It was none other than his childhood friend from Etruria, one he hadn't seen for possibly as long as ten years.

                "No duh it's me! Zayn, Etruria has been in a state of complete ruin without you. Schwartz has even declared herself the queen now and nowhere is it safe there. You must come back and reclaim the throne from that evil woman!"

                The prince however, could not help but stare. Julina looked so different from when he had last seen her. Her eyes were entrancing, and her flowing hair was extraordinary. The soft features on her face were subtle, yet held a remarkable beauty behind them…well, at least to Zayn.

                "Zayn! I don't even get a thanks?! Some kind of friend you are!" Julina folded her arms.

                Shaking his head, Zayn replied, "Of course, I'm sorry. Thanks for healing me." He managed a weak smile.

                "That's better." Julina chuckled.

                "Arr, ye got a lotta spunk kid!" The captain barked, startling Zayn. "Beatin' all three of me mateys, that's gotta take some guts. Ye know what? I like ye kid! I'll let ye pass for this ride."

                "Really?!" Zayn asked, surprised by the leader's offer. 

                "Ay. Just don' try any of yer witty jokes."

                "Aye aye cap'n!" Zayn saluted the chief.

                "Arr, call me Cap'n Rosenberg!"

                "Aye, aye cap'n Rosenberg!" Zayn repeated. Yida just shook his head again at his comrade's strange antics.

                "Oh Zayn, you haven't introduced me to your friend yet."

                "Yida." The tactician answered himself. "Julina, right?"

                "Yes, well met sir." She bowed.

                "Please don't be formal with me, It makes me feel kind of uncomfortable."

                "I'm sorry, forgive me."

                "It's fine." 

                As night fell, stars begin to dot the velvety black blanket that was the night sky. The ship rocked soundlessly through the tranquil waters. Clouds were scant and scarcely did a wave pass by. Though the conditions for sleeping were perfect, Zayn could not sleep. He shifted endlessly for he couldn't believe he was actually returning to Etruria now. After a whole year of absence, he would be returning to his people. He was anxious, but determined to take back the throne from Schwartz. Finally, he decided to just head up to the deck to take a quick look at the sea while everyone else was fast asleep. Maybe it would calm him.

                As the prince arrived at the deck, he noticed another figure standing there, gazing over the open sea. It was Julina of course, in her sacred robes. The cleric had heard some footsteps and she turned around to notice the young prince walking towards her.

                "Isn't the sea so beautiful?" she smiled and gestured towards the vast sea.

"Yeah, it is." Zayn said, turning towards the water.

"You know, it's nice to be away from the convent. I've missed out on so much in the world."

"I can always show you more."

"Thanks, that's a really nice offer."

"No problem…er, so where would you want to go?"

"Hm, well I've always heard Caledonia was a beautiful island."

"Great! Then we'll go there sometime!"

Julina laughed, "Thanks, that's really sweet."

"Anything for you! After all, we've been friends forever."

"You're so amusing Zayn." She said, chuckling.

"Heh, I guess that's how people identify me."

After staring out into the waters, Julina yawned and said, "Well, I'm getting tired now. I'll see you tomorrow. Good night!"

"Good night…" Zayn said quietly. Zayn continued to look at the sea, for a moment, while Julina stepped down the stairs. He stood there for a while, thoughts just racing through his mind. After a few moments, he himself went to sleep.

---

(from Silverhawk): Eh, I don't know. Do you guys think I'm putting too much description? I asked my friend to read it and he said it had too much description and 

     that was making it boring. So…read and rate please ^^;.


	3. Chapter 2 An Unexpected Ambush

El Bandido: Hey everyone here's the third installment in this epic. =)

Silverhawk: Isn't that kind of corny and more importantly how come I didn't get to introduce the second chapter.

El Bandido: Because it says by El Bandido.

Silverhawk: Well you didn't actually write it.

El Bandido: That's a technicality I'll have you know besides I came up with most of the ideas.

Silverhawk: Well I…wait a minute…. We can argue later without boring everyone how bout we just let them read the story.

El Bandido: Fine I'll see you at the end of the page Silverhawk.

Silverhawk: And here's Chapter 2. Enjoy :)

---

**Chapter 2 – An Unexpected Ambush**

The next morning, the vessel reached its destination, the port of Nabata. A range of mountains could be seen ahead as well as the harbor, with various people waving to the arriving boat. 

"Hey Yida, that's Nabata right?" Zayn inquired.

"How should I know? I haven't been off Kafti before." 

"Oh yeah."

"So how exactly are you going to gain the trust of the people?"

"That'll be a problem, I'll see what I can do."

"You sure are smooth sometimes." Yida said, chuckling.

"I do what I can." The thief smiled.

"Heh." Answered the tactician, apparently not much for words.

~*~**  
  
**

She aimed, and…FIRED! The arrow had found its mark on the bull's-eye of the target. The audience whooped and cheered as the youthful archer smiled, happy to be one step closer to triumph. However, she was not quite finished yet. She would have to beat yet one more opponent to win the competition. The two competitors were taken to a field, simply with two targets, one for each of them. Audrey was a little nervous and looked at her opponent, who looked very confident. He was rather tall, and had dirty blonde hair, in a cowlick style. Both archers had very sinewy builds, perfect for alacrity.

As the referee waved the flag, the blonde man stepped forward. The audience leaned forward and watched intently, mesmerized by the tense competition. The boy slipped an arrow out of his quiver and set it. He pointed his arrow at the mark, and let loose. The arrow flung forward and struck the big red circle, as expected. After a brief applaud, Audrey advanced and nocked her arrow, setting it in place. The young girl let go of the arrow. Her aim was true. After a brief applause, the youth stepped forward again and fired once more. The arrow marked an area _just_ off the bull's-eye. The audience was astonished but nonetheless still clapped. The boy clenched his teeth as he stepped away and let his opponent take her shot. Audrey let her arrow fly, but her luck was just the same, missing the intended target by a miniscule amount.

The audience was anxious to see the boy take his final shot. As he adjusted his arrow and pulled it back, a creak could be heard from the tugging of the bowstring. The guy was sure of his skill, never letting his confidence ail. He let the bowstring go and the arrow flew, hitting the center mark exactly! The spectators cheered and waited eagerly for Audrey to take her shot. She stepped forward a final time and pulled her arrow back. A bead of sweat rolled down her cheek and she aimed directly at the target at the target. The arrow flew and it felt so long before it reached the target. 

The projectile struck the mark but was once again off the center! The audience roared in cheer at the boy's victory, but Audrey was extremely disappointed. She tried to keep from crying and the whole world just disappeared from around her. She had trained so hard for this very moment, and now it was all for naught. The young archer dropped her bow and ran off.

She was in tears at her loss; she was so determined to win, but now her dreams were shattered. The arrow which had missed the bull's-eye tore through her heart.

"Hey." A voice behind Audrey calmly said.

"What do you want?" She asked with both anger and sadness in her voice. Audrey turned around to look at who was talking and saw her adversary from before.

The boy noticed her melancholy expression and had heard her crying. He walked over to her and sat down next to her. She was sniffling subtly now. "Well, I wanted to come out here and congratulate you on a match well shot, but…you don't seem to happy right now."

"What's there to be happy about?"

"Are you kidding? You got all the way to the finals. I've always dreamt about just getting to the finals. If I were you, I'd be overjoyed in having done so well among the best archers in Elibe."

"Well, I guess I did do pretty well, but, you know."

"Ah, I see where this is coming from. You really wanted to win didn't you?"

"Yeah, my friends and family back home had really high expectations for me."

"This isn't the end of the world you know. There's always next year." He said, trying to cheer her up.

"You're right, there is always next year." Her mood lightened and she wiped a tear drop with her finger.

"You'd better get going and train now. I'm expecting to seeing you here next year!" he said happily, smiling at her.

Audrey managed to smile back. "You'd better count on it! Say, what was your name again?"

"It's Zephyr, but I never told you before. And what about yours?"

"Audrey." 

"All right Audrey, I'll see you next year then!" Zephyr said.

"Bye…" she said a little dazed, as her newfound rival picked up his bow and ambled off. She hadn't expected comforting, least of all from her opponent. Audrey gathered her belongings as well and walked off into the town, heading back towards Thria. 

~*~

"Uh, Zayn. Didn't we already come this way?" inquired Yida.

"Er, no, of course not! The buildings here just all look the same!" Zayn said a little nervously. The group had been walking around for some time now, and apparently Zayn was getting them lost. Finally, Julina just decided to ask someone to guide them through the mountains and desert, though Zayn insisted they would find their way without help. Unfortunately, the answer the trio got was well, nothing. No one they asked knew how to get to the desert for the city of Vivalia was rather sheltered and rarely anyone would venture across the mountains, let alone the arid wasteland.

"Great. This is hopeless. It'll take forever to get to Etruria at this rate." Yida uttered.

"I have to agree with Yida on this one." Julina said and sat down on a nearby bench.

"C'mon guys, we'll find someone!" Zayn tried to press the group on, for he was the optimistic one.

Just then, an adolescent girl walked past, seeming to be hurriedly going somewhere. The prince quickly grabbed her arm and said desperately, "PLEASE! Would you guide us across the Nabata desert?"

She looked at him and was a bit scared. It wasn't every day someone would jump at your arm. She stepped back but the guy still clung to her arm. "Er, well I am heading back toward Lycia, so I guess you can follow me…" she said a bit reluctantly.

"GREAT!" Zayn yelled, shaking her hand furiously. Julina looked curiously at the girl. She had an odd sense of déjà vu. Suddenly, she recognized who it was! "Audrey," she exclaimed, "is that you?!" 

"Julina! I didn't see you there!" Audrey replied excitedly. The two friends hadn't seen each other for quite a while. Julina had met Audrey four years ago when she went on a pilgrimage to visit a church in Thria. The two became quick friends, but had not seen each other since. It was quite a surprise to both of them to encounter each other again.

"You know her?" Both Zayn and Yida asked, surprised.

"Yes, I have a lot of catching up to do with Audrey." Julina smiled.

"So Julina, who are these guys?" Audrey asked curiously, obviously a little frightened by Zayn's frantic move before.

"Ah, I've got a lot to tell you. How about we talk about it on the way to the mountains?" Julina suggested. And with a new addition to the band, they proceeded to the mountains while Julina explained the whole situation to the archer.

"Zzzaaayyyynnnnnn…I'm so tired! Get me some food! I'm so hungry! Can't we take a rest?" The unexpected response came from Julina. She seemed so gentle before, and this was a new dimension to the cleric.

"Stop whining! We can't stop now! We'll rest once we get through the mountains. It shouldn't be too long now. Besides, we've gotta save the food in our pack for the desert." Yida replied. The fatigue was getting to the group, and causing everyone to be grouchy. The quartet was trekking across a thin pathway between the cliffs. Bits of rock from the cragged cliffs slowly dropped, so the troops hurried along to prevent from being injured. 

"Please can we get SOME food? I'm starving here, and I won't be able to heal if I don't get the right nutrition!" Julina complained stubbornly.

"I'll get you some food. Maybe we can find some on this mountain." Zayn said, despite the fact that he was exhausted as well.

"You're too chivalrous, Zayn." Audrey said smirking.

The thief chuckled quietly and went off to look for some plants or perhaps a stray animal to eat.

~*~

_It can't be...Milady left him for dead. The boy cannot be alive!_ Thought a brigand, concealed just behind a rock by the cliff. The lofty axe user turned to one of his subordinates. "Make sure the boy does not get through alive!" He spat at his underling. 

"Yes sir. We'll defeat him with ease!" The minion and his companions began charging towards the young prince.

"You!" The leader shouted at another, "Send message to all of Schwartz's subjects and Her Majesty that the prince is alive!" The bandit ran off to fulfill his duty.

The prince was completely oblivious to the fact that there were bandits ready to attack him. As he searched for the scarce game or vegetation the mountain may have held, he suddenly heard a swift sound and was taken aback by the swing of an axe!

"Damn! I won't miss next time!" The bandit grinned menacingly at Zayn.

"Whoa! W-where'd you come from?" Zayn stuttered. He quickly took out his blade out from his cloak and swiped at his enemy, leaving a gash across the hefty man's cheek, and causing blood to drip. The thug grasped his cheek, but before he could say anything an arrow pierced him in the heart and he fell to the ground, dying instantly. Zayn looked back to see the source of the arrow and saw Audrey there, holding her trusty bow.

"We'll back you up Zayn!" Audrey shouted. "Yida, what should we do?" She asked, readying her bow to strike again.

"All right," the tactician quickly thought up a plan. There were five baddies left. "Zayn, you can take those three brigands to the right! Audrey, you arch the ones to the left, and Julina, heal anyone who needs it!" Yida commanded. All three nodded and carried out the plan. 

Zayn immediately leapt at the first brigand hurtling his way. He slashed twice at the chest of the stocky brigand. The foe retaliated and nicked Zayn's shoulder. Zayn cut across the chest twice more, causing the brigand to drop to the ground, bleeding to death. He grasped his shoulder as Julina held up her staff and came to his aid. Making a short prayer to Saint Forrest, she lifted her staff. A row of stars floated over to Zayn and a serene blue glow surrounded his wound. It then disappeared without a trace. The prince thanked Julina and dashed off towards his next targets.

With her trusty bow, Audrey let go of the bowstring and struck the brute square in the eye. If that wasn't enough, she let off a second arrow without delay and punctured his stomach. The enemy plunged over and writhed in agonizing pain as both his eye and his belly bled profusely. However, his companion quickly rushed at Audrey and struck her sideways with the blunt end of the axe. Audrey flinched at the bruise caused on her side, but sent an arrow to counter. The hooligan attacked yet again, but this time hacked a large gash on Audrey's leg. She screamed and lost her balance, but struck her foe with another arrow. It hit his shoulder with enough force to send him off the cliff into the abyss. Audrey clutched her leg in pain as Julina rushed to her friend's aid, administering her staff's healing powers. The blood was rapidly pumping out of her leg and staining the grass crimson. As the curative light encircled her leg, the lesion sealed itself up, and Audrey ran ahead to assist Zayn with his enemies.

Zayn noticed two ruffians scurrying right at him. He prepared his dagger and jumped over the bandits just as they swung their axes. Landing behind them, he stabbed his dagger into one's back. The other, he grabbed and slit his throat, leaving a pool of blood as the foe perished instantly. The other brigand picked up his axe weakly and dove at Zayn, but Audrey quickly dispatched him with a swift arrow to the neck. The thug fell harmlessly as the group recuperated.

"I owe you a lot, Audrey. If it weren't for you I'd probably be dead by now." Zayn told the archer.

"Thanks, I have to protect you. After all, you _are_ a prince." She responded. "And Julina, your healing saved both of us."

"It's my duty, and I would be devastated if I lost either one of you. Yida, your plan worked excellently. You're definitely the minds behind our oper-."

"Don't celebrate too quickly." Said a voice behind the rock in front of them. A tall bandit stepped out and introduced himself. "I am Unruh, one of Schwartz's soldiers. You will not make it to Etruria alive!" Unruh whipped out his axe and swung at the prince, who narrowly dodged the attempt. Zayn slashed back and made an X cross across his foe's back. Audrey fired at Unruh as well and nailed him in the side. "It'll take more than that to beat me!" The brigand picked out a simple target and managed to lacerate Julina's upper arm. The cleric flinched and fell back, dropping her healing staff. The alabaster robe began to soak up the blood and Audrey quickly went over to tend to Julina.

"Zayn, keep Unruh at bay, I'll take care of Julina!" Audrey yelled.

Zayn was furious and gladly followed Audrey's commands. He wildly slashed at Unruh, preventing the bulky brigand from countering. The thief was enraged that the man would even think of hurting Julina, or any servant of St. Forrest for that matter! Within a few seconds, the tall thug was defeated, with cuts and grazes all over his skin. "Dulce et decorum est…pro regina mori…" _[cookie to anyone who knows what that sentence is based from :p]_

~*~

Audrey opened a bottle and poured the contents on to Julina's wounded arm. It was a vulnerary, and would make the cleric's wounds mend. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you Julina. I should have seen that scumbag coming at you." The archer said disappointedly.

"No it's fine. It was too quick to notice, even Yida wouldn't have seen that coming. Who would have expected him to come at a cleric of all people?"

Zayn walked back to the camp, upset that he had failed to safeguard his childhood friend. "Julina…I really let you down today."

"No, I already told Audrey. No one would have seen it coming. Besides, I'm fine now. The injury's not too bad. I'll muster through it." She managed to smile slightly.

"I promise that I won't let you get hurt again." Zayn simply stated.

"Oh that's not possible. If we're going to be in so many battles, I will definitely get hurt, but I have plenty at my disposal. I may not have a weapon, but I can survive."

"You're fragile though. Clerics weren't made to battle, so we'll have to watch you carefully." Audrey said.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine." Julina assured the two. "On the other hand…can we eat now?" Julina asked, wanting to fulfill her strong hunger. 

Zayn and Audrey both chortled with laughter. "Yida's preparing dinner with the food we got in Vivalia and some of the game we received from Audrey's hunt. I can't wait to taste his cooking." Zayn said. Just then, the tactician walked out of his tent with a pleasant-smelling meal.

"Dinner!" Julina shouted, with a reaction akin to a child receiving candy.

"Yup. Let's dig in, and we'll start trudging through the desert tomorrow. Let's enjoy tonight while we can." Yida stated. The party feasted on their dinner and savored it, for the next day, even severer conditions would meet them in the desolate Nabata desert.

---

El Bandido: You know I'd argue with you some more but I wonder if people even bothered to read this far.

Silverhawk: Our argument doesn't matter if people didn't bother to read it.

El Bandido: What _was_ our argument anyway?

Silverhawk: That _I_ was the one who actually wrote it.

El Bandido: But _I _actually thought of it.

Silverhawk: No you didn't!

El Bandido: Okay maybe I didn't. I wonder if people will review it…

Silverhawk: Stop changing the subject! 

El Bandido: I'm not changing the subject (subliminally tells readers to review it)__

Silverhawk: You can't tell readers that aren't even there.

El Bandido: Okay, now that I think about it, this story _is_ bad. You wrote it :D.

Silverhawk: You'd bet I…wait a minute. It's actually the fault of _your_ bad plot ideas.

(El Bandido quietly slinks away into the darkness)

Silverhawk: Hey, get back here! By the way, Chapter 3 should be up in a few days.


	4. Chapter 3 Desert Wasteland: Under the S...

Silverhawk: Er…El Bandido isn't here right now so there won't be much of a commentary. Just want to mention that anonymous reviews are now accepted (thanks for mentioning that, Not Important1 ^^;). Also just telling you guys I'm not Yida nor Zayn, but I AM in the story :p.

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**Chapter 3 – Desert Wasteland: Under the Scorching Sun**

                _Damn…How long have I been here now?_ A mage wandered aimlessly through the desert, hopelessly searching for any evidence he could find. The heat was getting to be unbearable, and he had been roaming the arid wasteland for days now. Unfortunately, he had not found anything at all of importance. The boy decided to take a rest and he slumped down, leaning on a sturdy rock. Taking out his canteen, he took a swig of water, savoring the refreshing taste. The bottle was nearly empty now; consequently he would have to leave soon. But for now, he closed his eyes for a moment, memories flooding back into his mind.

~*~

                Meanwhile, Yida, Zayn, Audrey, and Julina had been in the desert for several days now. Atop their camels, what they saw was the same image throughout the whole wasteland—a vast and harsh area of swirling sands and searing heat.

                "And…how long is it going to take to cross this desert?" Julina asked a bit impatiently.

                "Don't worry, we should be out of the desert soon. Crossing the Nabata usually takes around ten days, but we're lucky that we were able to buy some camels, so we're almost there." Yida said, keeping his cool.

                "Agh, this heat is unbearable! Are we there yet?" Julina complained.

                "Do you see the end of the desert?" Yida asked sarcastically.

                "Guys, stop arguing. It's really hot here, but we'll be out soon. The heat's getting to all of us. But don't worry, we'll make it through! Ah, I'm parched." Audrey said. Taking out her canteen, she eyed the inside. No water. She sighed but didn't mention anything, not wanting to take any of her companions' water. She then realized why, thinking back to the day before when the heat had overtaken them…

                The group was well into the desert, and their water supply was beginning to run low. It was midday and the sun beat relentlessly on the party. Everyone was sweating copiously and the high temperature began to take its toll.

                "Hey, what's that?" Zayn asked, his camel continuing to progress.

                "It looks like some…trees?" Yida said curiously.

                "Why don't we check it out. If we're lucky, maybe it's an oasis!" Audrey said excitedly.

                "Great! Water! I haven't tasted that for sooooooo long!" Julina said, eager to get to the water.

                "…you just took a sip a minute ago." Zayn said.

                "Yeah, but as a cleric, I er…need water for er…holy purposes!"

                "Right…" Yida replied.

                The four camels advanced towards the oasis, while the quartet excitedly waited to reach the unexpected paradise. Zayn quickly glugged down his water, preparing to refill it when he reached the oasis. Yida, Audrey, and Julina all followed suit. As they reached the grove of trees and saw the rather large lake in the middle, they were as relieved as they could possibly be. Zayn sprinted ahead and dove right into the water, only to land in a rather large sand dune! Spitting out a mouthful of sand, the thief groaned as he just sat there, absolutely disappointed, as was the rest of the group.

                "I knew it was too good to be true." Yida remarked.

                "What did I do to deserve this?!" Julina whimpered.

                "And now our water supply is gone." Audrey commented.

                "When will we get out of this fricking hellhole?!" Zayn shouted exasperatedly.

                "Let's keep moving." Yida said quietly.

                All three climbed back upon their mount and continued through the seemingly endless desert, their hopes reducing with every step.

                As Audrey snapped back into the present, she realized she was behind and hurried her camel up, hoping the torture would end soon.

~*~

                _What's that noise?_ The mage thought to himself. It was a steady noise, and it sounded like several footsteps. What would so many people be doing in the desert though? He got up from his seat and peered slowly over the rock, scanning the land. There was a mass of perhaps fourteen troops. The leader appeared to be the grey-haired man in dark robes, and by the looks of it, he was probably a shaman.

                The youth continued to watch and keenly listened to what the army was saying, intent on discovering what their aim was in this desolate place.

                "Have you found the prince yet?" The shaman demanded of a recruit quickly rushing back to the militia.

                "No sir Scott. There's no trace of him."

                "We must find and kill him! He is a threat to Schwartz and must be eliminated! I trust that you will do better than that chump Unruh?" Scott said snidely.

                "Yes sir, when we locate him we will exterminate him without trouble." The soldier said confidently.

                "Sir, what's that behind there?" A soldier pointed at a sole rock in the desert.

                _Crap! They've found me. How will I get out of this? _The mage began to slip away, but Scott took notice quickly.

                "Ah! Etrurian robes, it must be him! You will not get away from us, Prince Zayn!"

                The boy slowed down and turned with a puzzled expression on his face. "I don't know what you're talking about." He said straightforwardly.

                "Don't act dumb! Attack, troops!" The leader commanded.

                The various mages, shamans, soldiers, and knights began to advance on the bewildered mage.

                _Great, how am I supposed to defeat all these people?_ Nonetheless, he prepared a spell. Chanting some words, the mage then formed a ball of fire in his palm and released it at an oncoming soldier, toasting him to a crisp.

~*~

                "Do you hear something?" Zayn asked, sensing something with his sharp hearing.

                "Nope." Julina, Audrey, and Yida all replied.

                However, Zayn still felt a bit uncomfortable. "I'm going to look up ahead okay?" None of the three had any objection and Zayn hastened his camel a bit. Up ahead, he heard yelling and some blasts as well, but he still didn't see anything yet. "You guys, I think there's a battle going on." He said, still a bit unsure. 

                "Zayn, you're probably just hearing a mirage." Yida said, his scorn obvious.

                "I'm serious." Zayn said without smiling.

                "Maybe we should check up ahead a bit." Julina backed up Zayn, her sensibility recovering.

                "We might as well. After all, the faster we get out of here, the better." Audrey added.

                "All right then. Let's go see." Yida consented.

                All four sped up as they began to hear similar sounds Zayn had heard. "Well, looks like you might be right after all." Yida commented with a sense of appreciation in his voice.

                "See? I'm not always wrong!" Zayn responded and smirked.

                "Let's hurry, someone might need our help." Julina said worriedly as all four sped up their camels.

~*~

                The mage sent another fireball hurling at an enemy mage, who countered with her own, singeing both magic users. The youth fired once more, bringing his opponent down. Afterwards, he gripped his right arm, charred by his foe. The pain was little for it had destroyed many nerves, but the burn was quite serious. Despite the injury, the mage continued to defend himself from the clusters of enemies coming at him.

~*~

                "Yida! It looks like all those people are ganging up on that mage. We have to stop them!" Julina pleaded.

                "But we can't take a side! How do we know we wouldn't be helping the wrong person?"

                Zayn used his sharp eyesight to observe the large army, and recognized a symbol. It was the same one that he remembered was on Schwartz's garb. "Guys, our enemy is the soldiers. They have Schwartz's symbol!"

                "How do you know that?" Yida retorted.

                "Just trust me!" Zayn said, a bit frustrated.

                "Fine." Yida said, as tension built up between the two.

                "Stop it! We have to help that guy, not argue with each other!" Audrey broke the quarrel between the two young men. "Yida, tell us what to do."

                "All right, this army looks bigger, so let's keep together. While Zayn and Audrey fend the enemies off from the mage, I want you, Julina, to heal any wounds he might have. Then we'll let them come towards us and finally defeat the leader." The tactician explained briefly. The trio nodded and all four moved ahead to the battlefield. Yida stayed behind just enough so that he could still shout out to the party if he needed. 

                A soldier and a mage came rushing at Zayn and Audrey. Audrey quickly fired an arrow and pierced the soldier's heart, causing him to drop his spear. The mage summoned a fire spell, but Zayn was too speedy and slashed at the mage before he could make a move. The three continued in haste to aid the ally mage, dashing through yet another soldier. 

                The magic wielder was up against another soldier and set up a fireball. However, the soldier hurriedly thrust his spear into the mage's side. "Ah!" He flinched and gripped his side, keeling over.

                An arrow shot out from behind the mage and pierced the enemy's arm. A black blur then sliced through him as well.

                "Who are you?" The mage inquired, still holding on to his side. The pool of blood on his shirt began to enlarge.

                "Don't worry, we're here to help." Yida said from behind. "Julina, why don't you heal him?"

                "Of course." She held up her staff and muttered some prayers. An azure light surrounded his injury and it sealed up quickly, though leaving the bloodstain. "So who are you anyway?"

                "I'm Tyler, but apparently these guys think I'm the prince of Etruria…"

                "Ah! I knew it! Schwartz's cronies probably know I'm advancing. We've got to stop her!" Zayn pronounced.

                "_You're_ the prince of Etruria?" Tyler asked bewilderedly.

                "Yeah, long story. For now let's beat these guys."

                "All right. I hope my magic will be of use to you."

                "Guys, behind you!" The tactician warned.

                A knight and a shaman were proceeding upon the allies. Tyler quickly extended his arm and released a flame at the knight. The heat was intensified by both the metal and the sun. The mage fired once more and the armored combatant was easily incinerated. The shaman blasted a sphere of negative energy at Audrey, who then received an opaque blemish on her neck, which began to eat away at her flesh. She cried out in pain but Julina quickly attempted to cure her with a heal, but a little mark was left. Audrey managed to counterattack and struck the shaman in the chest, causing him to plunge to the ground. 

                "Audrey, are you okay?" Julina asked worriedly.

                "Yes I'm fine, don't worry about me." She answered, as the pain was rather minor.

                "Here, take this. It might help a bit." Tyler handed the archer a vulnerary, and she applied it to the dark spot.

                "Thanks, but let's keep moving!" The archer pulled back her bowstring and ran ahead.

                "She sure has a lot of willpower." Yida said.

                "Yeah, it's a trait of her that really stands out." Julina commented.

                "Let's go!" Zayn said, pursuing the enemy.

                Zayn quickly cut up a few mages as Audrey slew soldiers with her deadly aim. Tyler was quick to char some knights without hesitation. Julina followed her duty and mended any wounds that appeared, while Yida continued to order the troops and warn them of any incoming danger. As the allies finished off two final knights, they came face to face with the head of the rival army.

                "So, you have defeated all my troops, have you? Well no matter. I will quickly dispose of you!" Scott shouted at his enemies. He rapidly shot orbs of sinister energy at everyone, wounding a few which Julina repaired as soon as she could. Zayn leapt at the shaman and hacked at him with his knife, but Scott slowly disappeared, avoiding the attack completely. "You may be quick young thief, but you cannot match the wits of a dark mage!" He sent a ball of dark magic at Zayn, knocking him back into the sand and leaving a mark on his wrist.

                "Julina, tend to Zayn! Audrey and Tyler, you guys keep him at bay!" Yida commanded.

                Audrey hastily directed a few arrows, but they just barely missed, and one only punctured the robe.

                "Your physical attacks are no match for me!"

                Tyler sent a blaze at the boss, and burned off part of the robes.

                "Ah, the prince, you are an anima user I see. How pitiful that my magic will triumph!" The shaman discharged another flux. Tyler narrowly sidestepped it however, ignoring Scott's taunt. Audrey flung another arrow at the leader and managed to strike his side! The mystic held the wound, and rid himself of Audrey by blowing her away with another flux

                The mage clenched his teeth and combusted yet another portion of the robe. Yet again he projected another flame from his hand, this time managing to nail Scott in the wound Audrey had created, causing the shaman to cringe at the pain. Zayn was fully healed now and double slashed his foe, leaving two large gashes on his chest.

                "ARGH!" The infuriated shaman blasted yet another threatening sphere at the thief and sent him flying back again, injured once more. 

                Tyler prepared fireballs in both his hands and fired at Scott continuously. Finally, the shaman fell to the ground and writhed about, his body covered in serious burns. "How could my elder magic not prevail?" Were his final words.

                Tyler then slowly dropped to the ground, breathing heavily. He was completely worn out from using so much magic in such concentrated heat. Taking out his canteen, he gulped down the last swig and wiped the sweat off from his forehead. "That was quite a battle." He simply said.

                "It was, and Zayn, you took quite a beating. Nice job." Yida stated.

                "So you probably want to hear about us now, right?" Zayn asked Tyler. 

                "Yeah, I'd appreciate it if you could tell me what's going on."

                "All right, so you're telling me that you're trying to reclaim your throne from Schwartz?" Tyler asked curiously, after having listened to the group's story.

                "Yeah, it probably sounds odd, and you can choose to believe us if you want, but we will depose her!" Zayn confidently stated.

                "Actually, I believe you." The group stared at him, rather surprised.

                "You see, my father was the Mage General of Etruria. Recently, just after Schwartz began to rule as regent, my father was charged for treason and executed. I fled the country, having no idea what was going on and moved to Caelin. I heard my father had done some 'suspicious' work here in Nabata so I came here to see if I could find anything on him. The shaman had attacked me because I don the Etrurian robes, and he assumed I was you." Tyler explained.

                "Will you join us then? It seems we hold a common grudge against Schwartz." Zayn offered.

                "Yes, I will. Perhaps I can find more answers from the regent herself…"

                "All right! So where's our next destination?" Yida asked.

                "Let's stop at Ostia. It's the last stop just before Etruria and perhaps we can find some support there. After all, there's a lot of tension now between Lycia and Etruria." Zayn suggested.

                "That sounds like a good idea." Audrey supported.

                "Let's go then!" Julina said excitedly, ready to set off and leave the forsaken desert.

                The group of five then set off, just realizing they were getting very thirsty. Relieved to have exited the desert, they quickly found a place to stay, at one of those bed-and-breakfast inns. As soon as they awoke and ate, they were revitalized and ready to go. Little did they know what awaited them at the border of Lycia.

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Silverhawk: Well, that was a longer chapter. Read and review please :D.


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